To wonder if we sound normal enough routine wise

[sugarlumpwasarockinghorse]

My children are six next month and three. The older one is obviously in school and the younger one in preschool three days a week.
dc1 does beavers, swimming and basketball after school 3 nights a week then football & rugby weekends

the three year old doesn’t do after school activities but does ballet, swimming and a regular class on one of our days off. So we’re quite busy.

We get home from school and preschool just before 4, they usually play outside for a bit if the weather is OK or play with their toys inside. Dinner is at 5 and then I start their bath and bed routine at 6.

I was wondering about getting my older one some board games for Christmas and one response when I asked for recommendations was incredulity I hadn’t done them with the kids yet. I guess I’m just wondering if we sound normal! As I don’t actually know when I’d fit them in just at the moment!

I saw that thread about the board games OP and I don't think you should have taken one slightly bonkers poster it to heart.

I'm not sure there is such a thing as normal - all DC are different. Mine have SEND and need a lot of unstructured time to decompress from school so they only do one activity a week. Other DC thrive on extracurricular activities. I hate the idea you get on MN sometimes that if two people do things differently then one of them has to be wrong.

@LucyBrownCow i think he enjoys them, there is nothing negative in them at all and a lot of positives so if the only thing against them is that they are structured then I guess we don’t agree. Of course, I’m not suggesting you are wrong to do them as such, but there isn’t one way to parent and there isn’t one type of child. By your logic. I’d be withdrawing DS from Beavers or football and when he asks why telling him ‘because you’re doing too many things’ which only works as an argument if the child is either unhappy about that or the activities are so much that they are encroaching on other important things. I don’t feel that two hour of sports in two days falls into those categories.

On MN it's wrong to have activities for children.
In real life, all my kids friends have them pretty much everyday and , shock horror, they ENJOY them!

According to MN, it's also true that most children are allowed to watch tv a lot, and that's people must be lying if they say their child don't even have access to a tv until they are 3 or 4..

So I' would take any negative comment with a massive pinch of salt.

In real life, not everyone lives in front of a park with a ready team of 10 other kids of the same age happy to kick a ball when they want to play football 😂
Activities your kids like are fine!

There is a lot of negativity towards organised activities on here, even fairly carefree ones like Beavers and Rainbows.

Activities are great. Too many can be a problem. I know so many children absolutely worn down and exhausted by the number of clubs they do and they are aged between 4 and 8. You can see it in their behaviour that they don’t have enough unstructured down time. They would all say that they love every club they do, but kids don’t know exactly what’s best for them.

on MN, no one has activities, but no one has screens either

but all seem to be living in a fairy land with open countryside and endless path for riding your bike and parks to play football, build dens and have adventure with your friends, as well as a MASSIVE garden with trampoline, a pony and all the ball games you might dream of. And in the meantime be scared of predators and strangers.

When you have a look at how many kids live in block of flats, or urban small terraces, I have my doubt about the idyllic childhood in the wilderness 😂

Yes, absolutely if you're happy with your approach, more power to you. Many people agree with you. FTR I wouldn't frame the lack of structured activities as "you're doing too many things" but rather as "we need time to do other things." For me and my family, five activities a week for a 6-year-old would be too many. But as you said, there isn't one way to parent.

I've voted YABU but it's a very tight margin. Definitely not something to beat yourself up about and you haven't missed the boat with anything. Our 4 year old loves Snakes and Ladders. Pop-up-Pirate (appreciate it's not a board game) has taken some encouragement for him to stick around for because it makes him jump 🤣 We're going to get him Shut The Box for Christmas.